Chocolate Wright

Chapter 6

- Two Minutes Ago -

After a while, I sigh. No suspicious slip of paper anywhere in the car. Maya did say she wasn't sure it was actually lost...
With a sigh, I close Edgeworth's trunk and enter my building. I realize I don't know exactly who they had been delivering the evidence to, so I don't know where to find them. I decide I'll just go to my office and wait for them there.
I press the button for my floor in the elevator, and as it goes up slowly, I smirk as I think about how Edgeworth might react to this. I remember that there was an earthquake in the detention center during Turnabout Goodbyes, and Edgeworth curled up into a ball in the corner. I hadn't said it to anyone, but he'd looked pretty ridiculous.
Speaking of Edgeworth, what was that back there? Edgeworth was the most relaxed, but he was the one who wanted to hide the secret the most. Why was that, I wonder?
My thoughts are interrupted as the elevator stops and the doors open on my floor. I head over to my office, getting out my key when suddenly there's a crash from inside the office. Maya's voice cries out and Larry's voice says, "Aww, Maya!"
I know there's probably nothing wrong, but I still run to my door. "Guys? What happened?" I turn the knob to find that, of course, it's already unlocked, and I open the door and look inside. My mouth drops open.
I see Edgeworth, Maya, Larry, Emeri, and Pearls staring at me in shock, standing near a brown pile of....body parts?
"Uwaugh!" I flinch and step back. "Wh-what is....what are you...?!"
"Mr. Wright, they're not actual body parts!" Emeri quickly says, probably having seen my skin pale and legs tremble.
I start taking deep breaths, and after a few seconds, I manage to say, "O...okay, but what are they?"
The others exchange glances before Edgeworth says, "These are parts of a life-size likeness of yourself, made as a Valentine's Day gift for you."
"We were putting it together when Mystic Maya accidentally hit it and it fell, then you came in and saw us." Pearls says. "But please don't stop loving her, Mr. Nick!"
"Of course I won't." I mutter absentmindedly, then blink and correct myself. "I-I mean... it's the thought that counts. It was really nice of you guys to do this for me...thanks."
I mentally facepalm. That had been such a pathetic thank-you...
Larry pipes up. "Come on, Nick, why don't you help us build it back up? It's only Wright!" He chuckles, and I give a soft "uuugh..." before smiling and picking up the head. I notice how they captured almost every detail, and it almost looks like I'm staring into a brown mirror. "Wow, you guys, this is incredible!" I remark.
"Did we mention that they're made of chocolate?" Maya grins with pride.
"Chocolate? You guys shaped me out of chocolate?!" I'm astonished. I hadn't thought it was possible to do that!
"It wasn't very easy, but we did it eventually." Emeri says happily.
It isn't long before the body has been assembled and all that's left is my chocolate head. I look at it one more time before carefully attaching it to the neck.
We step back and admire it in silence for a few moments before I decide to speak. "Amazing....you guys did a really good job. Thank you so much for all this."
The others cheer, save for Edgeworth, who just shakes his head and smiles.
"It was no problem, Mr. Wright!" Emeri says.
"Our pleasure!" Maya says.
I take this opportunity to ask. "Hey, Edgeworth...did you want to keep this a secret from me even more than the others did?"
He doesn't respond for a moment, and we all look at him curiously.
"......Ms. Pearl's gift to you is quite useful, isn't it." Edgeworth turns away from the sculpture to look at me. "You're ri- correct. And why do you suppose that is?"
I shrug. "I don't know....because you were going to be embarrassed if I found out you were helping them?"
Edgeworth smirks. "I thought you might say something like that." He pauses before speaking again. "I decided it would be amusing to see your astonished expression when you saw a statue of yourself."
I reach into my pocket and touch the magatama again. Chains close around my frenemy, two Psyche-Locks binding them together.
I raise a skeptical eyebrow at him. "You know I know you're lying, right?"
He smirks again. "Lying is a crucial part of my career, Wright." I don't say anything in reply, and the others nudge him, grinning. He sighs, one of his locks breaking. "....Yes, well....perhaps it was more than that alone...."
(How is he still not breaking?) More curious than ever, I pull the magatama out from my pocket and hold it out toward Edgeworth with a "Take that!"
It's Edgeworth's turn to raise an eyebrow. "What are you doing?"
"If you won't tell me what you're hiding, I'll guess it." I say, surprisingly managing to keep a straight face.
"Miles, it's fine." Emeri says, and I realize the others have just been standing there in silence. "He's your best friend, after all."